I Will Carry You
by Tag216
Summary: COMPLETE! Melody is constantly abused by her drunken father and finds peace at the Lodging House with her best friend, Jack. When Jack writes a poem to express his feelings, will Melody feel the same?
1. NO RUM!

Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies or the song I Will Carry You sung by Clay Aiken. I don't own Poker, Trigger, Sapphy or Lil' Italy. I own Melody and Tag, though!  
  
Yessum, it's another fic!! I love this song especially...it's so sweet! So, um, just read and I hope you *singing* enjoy the show!!! *stops singing* Yeah, thats part of a Spice Girls song! Ok anyways, onto the songfic!!!  
  
Specs: Finally!  
  
Specs! You got out of my room in the last fic, Make Ends Meet in 1899..*wink wink* and now you got out AGAIN! GRRRR! Oh well, guess you'll just have to stay down here with me!!  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
Melody opened her front door only to be smothered by the smell of beer and smoke.  
  
"Dad? I'm home!" She called out into the foggy living room, where her dad was every evening at 6 o'clock. Her father, Bill, had been a widower for 8 years now. Her mother, Bonnie, died when Melody was 9 of whooping cough. Her father had always been nice to her while her mom was alive, but after she died, he turned on her. He forced her to work so she could buy more alcohol and cigars for him. Melody had looked all around for a job, but no one would take her because she was so scrawny and young. Finally, she came upon a newsie one day, he offered her a job and she had been a newsie ever since.  
  
"Finally!" Bill's rough, scratchy voice responded. "Get in here, bitch! My bottle's 'bout empty." Melody slowly approached her father with a full bottle of liquor in her hand. She shakily reached out and handed it to him. He examined it for a moment before throwing it on the ground, glass shattering everywhere. "What the hell is this? You know I don't like RUM!" He took his over-sized, hairy hand and thrust it under Melody's chin.  
  
"Dad!" She coughed and choked while trying to get words out. "I couldn't *cough* find any *choke* whiskey! *cough choke* Please, let go! *cough*" She struggled under the firm grip of her father's hand. When he finally let go, he threw Melody to the ground and she lay there rubbing her red, hand- marked neck. This wasn't the first time it had happened. Whenever Melody slipped up in the least bit, her father hurt her in some way.  
  
Melody scrambled to her feet and ran to the door. She swung it open and flew out into the cool, spring air. Her father ran onto the front steps and yelled after her.  
  
"MELODY! WHERE ARE YOU GOING? GET BACK HERE NOW OR YOU'RE IN BIG TROUBLE!" Melody ignored her father's screaming and kept running. Her deep blue eyes were stung with tears and her dark blonde hair was streaming behind her. Most people in this situation don't know where they're running to, but Melody knew exactly where her feet were taking her. The Lodging House was her sanctuary. All her friends were there, no one bothered her or hurt her and best of all, Jack was there. Jack was the newsie who first offered her a job. He showed her the ropes and after that they became the best of friends. They didn't spend every waking minute together, but they were close.  
  
The door to the bunk room burst open and Melody appeared, her hands resting on her neck and her breath short. Jack looked up from his Santa Fe pamphlet and stood up.  
  
"Mel, you ok?" Melody took her hands away and nodded. She stabled herself and walked over to Jack. "Do ya need help?" She shook her head and smiled a fake grin. Melody was very independent and didn't want anyone helping her in any way. She sold her papes alone, paid for all her food and shooed away anyone who tried to help her after her father hurt her. She wasn't like most of the girls that hung around the Lodging House with their boyfriends. Tag, for instance, never sold her papes without Specs. And Trigger hardly paid for her own lunch, although she protested once and a while. 'Snitch, I'll pay this time!' Melody rolled her eyes at the mere thought of doing something like that. Of course, she was friends with Tag and Trigger. They were nice girls who were there if she needed to talk.  
  
"Hey, Melody! Come here!" Poker motioned for her friend to come over. Poker was a short newsie with vibrant, wavy red hair and sparkling green eyes. She liked to talk...a lot, and whenever Melody was feeling down, she would run to Poker. "So, how bad was it this time?" A hint of concern was shining through the 15-year-old's eyes.  
  
"No worse than usual, I guess. Anyways, where's Spot today?" Melody was known for changing the subject when it came to talking about her dad.  
  
"He's back in Brooklyn...of course." Poker sighed and adjusted her blue suspenders. Her and Spot had been 'seeing each other' for a little over a year now. They had somewhat of a love-hate relationship, always getting in fights and such. But they would make up after a day or two. "We had ANOTHER fight earlier. He says that I 'can't wear a hat because I'm a girl and it's not proper!' I know I don't wear a hat anyways, but I want the right to! Blast! Spot gets on my last nerve when he thinks he can control me." She kept going on about how Spot was a demanding, controlling boyfriend while Melody just listened. She was good for that; listening.  
  
"So, are you gunna apologize?" Melody fidgeted with her necklace.  
  
"No way! HE'S going to apologize to ME! *sigh* Well, anyways, you gunna sleep here tonight? You know my bottom bunk is always empty! Well, except when Spot's here...then he sleeps in it, but ya know what? He's not here tonight so you can have it! But what if he comes back? Nah, he won't come back. But he could, ya know? Spot's like that." Melody lowered her eyebrows and slowly shook her head. Searching around the room, she found Jack again and sauntered over to him.  
  
"What? Poker borin' ya again wid all her tawkin?" They both laughed and looked at Poker, still talking to herself. "So...you goin' back home?"  
  
"Yeah, I mean if I don't turn up then Pa will just hurt me even more. I should get going now." Melody turned towards the door, but Jack stuck his hand out and grabbed her arm.  
  
"I'm not lettin' ya go out dere alone. I'm cummin' wid ya." He put down his pamphlet and flicked his hat off his head. Melody jerked her arm out of his grasp, an exasperated look on her face.  
  
"Jack, I don't need you to come with me. I'll be fine by myself." Jack sighed and looked around the room.  
  
"Fine, fine. But if I don't go wid ya, then Sapphy and Italy will, ok?" Jack focused his eyes on Melody's, making sure he got through to her. "If no one goes wid ya then your pops might hoit ya and none of us would even know. Somebody's GOTTA go wid ya. And don't try to tawk me outta it." Melody let out a big sigh before nodding her head and rounding up Sapphy and Italy.  
  
"Oh, sure!" Sapphy said delightfully. Sapphy, or Sapphire Eyes, was a slim, short newsie standing at 5 foot 4. She had shoulder length strawberry- blonde hair and big, curious blue eyes. Racetrack and Sapphy were almost inseperable...except when it came to her friends. The pair went to Sheepshead Bay constantly because they both loved to gamble. Sapphy tooks Melody's arm and called over to Italy, who was standing with Blink, laughing and smiling.  
  
"What?? Oh, all right, I'm comin'" Italy ran towards her friends with great speed. Italy was a small newsie as well, that came up to about 5 foot 2. She was quite strong and very light on her feet. Melody always envied her wavy, dark brown -almost black- hair that rested 2 or 3 inches below her shoulders. Her eyes were a bright, emerald green and she had a rose-leaf complexion. (A/N: lol...Anne of Green Gables! I had to use that, Italy!) Italy trotted to the other side of Melody and followed Sapphy's lead down the stairs.  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
That's it for this chapter!! I know the song's not coming into play yet...but don't fret my lil' readers!! It will, it will! For now, I shall leave you with this message: GO SEE PETER PAN! There are many reasons: 1- Peter looks like Spot and he is so HOT! 2- Slightly the lost boy looks like Race! 3- There's a banker that looks like Snitch! WATCH FOR HIM! He's only on the screen for a few seconds! 4- It will crack you up when Tiger Lily kisses John! 5- Micheal is so cute with his teddy! 6- Tink is a ho- bag...but she's cool! 7- IT'S SO GOOD!! All right, I'll go and write the next chapter now! 


	2. A poem reeled me in

Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies because Disney is mean and won't give them up. I don't own Sapphy, Zippy, Lil' Italy, HotShot, Taffee or Trigger either. I only own Tag and Melody. *nods proudly*  
  
All righty, it's another chapter! I don't really know when the song is coming into play...so don't ask. LoL. All right, it's time for some shout outs!  
  
Gamester Cladsl- LoL! It's ok that you asked me that...I was a little bit flattered actually! Usually, no one cares about me and my two lines! :D I know it, this song is the BEST!  
  
Fye R Fly- Thanks for reviewing! I'm ecstatic that you like it so far! :D  
  
Lil' Italy- "I'm in the depths of despair, Marilla. Have you ever been in the depths of despair?" LoL. I'm glad you like it so far! ;) I love Moody!  
  
Matchin' Laces- *squeals* I love Clay to death! Isn't his CD one of the best ever? That's really cool that you saw my story right after the song came on! It must be fate. ;D  
  
Sapphy- Stupid dad! Just take the rum and drink it! *crosses arms* Some people... Yeah, I figured you were like Melody, being independent and such, so that's why I said MOST girls. Besides, I'm making you Melody's best girl friend b/c you're that way. Whoo hoo! I'm glad you like your description! 'Goin' to Sheepshead Bay constantly...' Heh heh heh.  
  
Blinknskater- Oooo you said "wow"! That's all anyone needs to say to make ME happy.  
  
SnitchsLins- You said 'wow' as well! Man, you guys really know how to make me happy!!! LoL! I LOVE details, too so that's why I try to make everything as descriptive as possible! So, it's like you're there, in the story. All right, all right *throws hands up in surrender* You got me. I'll put some Snitchyness in. :D  
  
Poker- *throws confetti* Congratulations! The very first one to give a review! Whoa, withdrawl symptoms? That's tough...I need to write more so you won't die or something. Ok, I'll help you up from the cliff and start writing.  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
Melody flipped through the pages of that morning's newspaper, looking for a headline to "improve". *Hmm...'Governor has cold; Must stay in bed for several days.' What kinda headline is that? Oh, well, guess I'll have to work with it.* She cleared her throat and started yelling out her version of the headline.  
  
"Governor sick with fatal illness! Must stay in hospital for several weeks! Extra, extra! Governor is possible of dying!" She sold a few papes and found another headline to improve.  
  
Meanwhile, Jack was selling HIS papes a few blocks away and could hear Melody's loud voice cutting through the air. For such a quiet girl, she could really yell. He watched her every move as she looked through the articles and yelled out some fake headlines.  
  
"Heya Jack!" Mush called to his friend from across the street. He waved excitedly before walking off with his girlfriend, HotShot. She was a 15- year-old newsie with brown hair and natural blonde tips at the end. Her eyes were a nice, soft hazel that turned yellow in the middle when she got mad, which was not that often. She had a bit of a tan and was short; almost a inch shoter than Spot.  
  
Jack watched as the couple walked off, hand-in-hand. He scanned the area and saw Swifty with his girlfriend, Taffee.  
  
"Hey Jack!" She yelled to him. Her and Swifty made a nice couple, Jack always thought. She was a tall girl that stood at about 5 foot 7, but still a little shorter than Swifty. Her curly hair was brown with some red in it and rested at her shoulders. Her grey-blue eyes could sometimes look silver in the light and really complemented her pink shirt. They both walked off to meet up with Zippy and Skittery; yet another couple at the Lodging House.  
  
Zippy was short as well; about 5 foot 3 and had thick, brown, curly hair down to her shoulders. She almost looked like a shorter version of Taffee. The only difference between them, besides the height, was Zippy's small, almost unnoticable bump between her silver eyes, on top of her nose. You could only see it if she was turned sideways, though.  
  
If he didn't know any better, Jack could see a pattern forming here. Many of his friends had paired up with a girl. Swifty had Taffee, Race had Sapphy, Spot had Poker (although they fought constantly), Specs had Tag, Snitch had Trigger, Blink had Italy and Mush had HotShot. *I'm da leadah of dese guys! Why don't I have a goil?* He thought. Melody's voice was streaming into his ear and he looked at her. She was pretty, but they were just friends. He would never like her in that way...would he? He slowly started to walk over to her, watching her sell her papes.  
  
Melody could feel someone was sneaking up on her. She didn't know if it was Oscar or Sapphy, but whoever it was, would not be successful.  
  
"I know you're there!" She said, her voice raised, yet calm. Jack stopped suddenly.  
  
"How?" Melody turned around quickly, her face surprised to see Jack.  
  
"Good, it's just you. I thought maybe you were Oscar or someone. So, how's it been?" Melody rambled while trying to hide something on her arm. Jack stepped closer and took hold of her arm gently. "Jack, stop. It's nothing, ok? Don't worry about me." Melody assured him.  
  
"No, it's not nuttin'. If it was nuttin', then ya wouldn't be coverin' it up, now would ya? Just lemme see. I'm not gunna try and make it bettah, I just wanna see." He finally was able to take her hand off her arm and saw a big, black and purple bruise; half of it was hidden underneath her red sleeve. "Mel, what happened? Do I even have to ask?" Melody slowly shook her head and rolled her sleeve down.  
  
"Pa just got a little mad because I ran off. What time is it? I'm starving?"  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
Sapphy jumped from her chair to greet her friend as she walked in the door.  
  
"Mellie! Come sit with me so we can talk and I can try to ignore Race while he begs to let him pay for my lunch." Sapphy scoffed as she led Melody over to the big table in the center of Tibby's.  
  
Jack waved good-bye and sat down with Bumlets, Specs and Crutchy. Surprisingly, Specs was without his girlfriend.  
  
"Heya fellahs. Good sellin' day, tahday?" They all nodded and starting talking about headlines, food...Jack wasn't really listening. He was mainly paying attention to Melody. He concentrated on her as she talked to Sapphy; the way she smirked at the things Race said, the way she laughed at a joke, even the way her long eyelashes curled back. Jack was rudely interrupted when Specs shook his shoulder.  
  
"You ok, there Jack? You look like you're in a trance or somethin'." Specs looked in the direction Jack was staring in and got the jist of what was going on. "Oh, you like Melody, don't you?" Jack punched Specs in the arm and gave him a dirty look.  
  
"What do you know, eh?" Specs glared at Jack and rubbed his arm.  
  
"Well, if you really wanna know, I know a lot about getting a girl."  
  
"Wow, ya got Tag. What's the surprise in that? Everyone knew she liked ya. Except you of course." Jack chuckled.  
  
"Ha ha. For your information, I've hooked up a lot of these couples in this very restaurant. So, do you or don't you like Melody?" Jack stared at Specs, then stared at Melody. He kept looking back and forth at them before finally focusing on Specs.  
  
"Ok, I do like 'er all right. It's really weird, I never felt anythin' until earliah tahday. So what should I do?"  
  
"Well, a good poem is always nice. You know, Tag reeled me in with a poem." Jack stared at his friend as if telling him 'Does it look I care?' Specs got the point and moved on.  
  
"Ok, tonight, I'll help you write a poem, ok?" Jack nodded slowly, not knowing what he was getting himself into.  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
That's the end of chapter two! Yeah, it's not nearly as good as the last one...but I've had a rough day and I got a lil bit of a headache...thank god for Excedrin! *praises Excedrin* All right sorry again for this sucky chapter but it'll get better! Just cut me some slack! 


	3. She deserves a standing ovation!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Newsies or the song I Will Carry you sung by Clay Aiken. I don't own Trigger, Poker, Sapphy, Zippy, Italy, Taffee or HotShot either. I own Tag and Melody, though! *beams*  
  
Ok sorry but no personal shout-outs today. I'm still not feeling that well...blah. But all you reviewers know who you are and I love you all! Um yeah I'll just get on with the story.  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
Jack and Specs stared wide-eyed at the piece of paper on the desk. The words written on it were perfect. Every line expressed just what Jack felt. Each word came straight from his heart. Nothing needed to be changed...nothing at all.  
  
"Specs...you're a genius." Jack said to his friend. He patted him on the back and delicately picked up the poem, holding it like it was an object from heaven. His eyes focused on the words written, reading them over and over again. It couldn't possibly be anymore perfect. Not one bit.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, Italy saw Jack holding up a piece of paper, concentrating on it like nothing else mattered. She approached him from behind and started to read it. Her eyes went wide, as well.  
  
"Jack!" Jack jumped and quickly turned around, startled from the voice that interrupted his thoughts. "Did you write this?" Italy stared at her friend, not knowing what to think.  
  
"Um, not really. Specs did most of it, but I helped some." He scratched the back of head and motioned towards Specs, who was still sitting at the desk.  
  
"Well, who's it for? Anyone in particular?" Italy questioned.  
  
"Ah, I dunno. Not quite shoah, really." Jack's eyes darted around the room, not wanting to make eye contact with Italy.  
  
"Yeah, right, Jack. Maybe you could ask Race tah help ya with your lying skills, cause you're really bad." She laughed and walked away, wondering who the poem could be for.  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
Melody quietly walked down the street alone, a single tear treading down her face. She had one hand on her stomach and the other on her cheek, that was now turning a dark shade of purple. She had screwed up again. 'Nothin' but CUBAN cigars for me. You know that, bitch! Why can't you ever get anything right, god dammit?' The scene played through her mind over and over, refusing to stop. A large hand came down and struck her cheek, then balled up into a fist and punched her stomach. She lay harmless on the ground in a small pool of her own blood. Again and again she saw that hand meeting with her cheek. No matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't go away.  
  
"Mel? Is that you?" Taffee was leaning against the wall of a nearby alley way when she heard a faint sob. She turned her head to see Melody, her hands covered in blood and her cheek bruised. She was barely crying, but not for long. "Oh my gosh...did he do this to you?" Taffee asked.  
  
"Yeah. He..." Melody's eyes were watery as more and more tears began to fall down her face.  
  
"That bastard. It'll be ok, Mel." Taffee wrapped her arms around Melody and hugged her carefully, not wanting to hurt her even more. She hugged her comfortingly, though. "Shhh." She tried to calm down the now sobbing girl. "We'll just go back to the Lodging House, hmm?" Melody quickly shook her head and whispered a 'No'.  
  
"I don't want Jack to..." She said between sobs.  
  
"Melody, Jack's your best friend and he's going to worry no matter what. You can't stop it. All ya gotta do is take it." Melody continued shaking her head rapidly.  
  
"No! I can't take it anymore. Jack shouldn't worry about me. He should know that I can take care of myself!" The words escaped her mouth with great force and volume. Her eyelids fluttered as she collapsed, Taffee catching her before she could hit the ground.  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
"Is she gunna be ok, doc?" Trigger asked the man in a white coat.  
  
"I think she'll be fine after some rest. Are you sure no one knows what happened to her?" The newsies all looked around at each before shaking their heads in response. Rule one of the Newsie Code- Never reveal anything about another newsie to any form of authority. Who made that up, no one knew, but they still had to live by it. Jack felt like he needed to save Melody from that bastard of a father for good, but he couldn't. The only thing he could do was just keep Melody away from him for as long as possible. Kloppman saw the doctor out the door and the newsies bid their good-byes.  
  
"Melody? Can you hear me? It...it's Jack."  
  
"Yeah, but you're talking so soft. Speak up, Jack! Geez. Just because I'm lying in this bed with this bandage on doesn't mean that I'm not capable of talking to you or hearing you or anything like that! I can take care of myself and I know you know that. So, stop acting like I can't." Melody spoke to Jack in a forceful manner, but not being mean. Sapphy applauded her best friend from the doorway.  
  
"She deserves a standing ovation!"  
  
Jack walked out of the room and made his way outside. He opened his poem and looked at for several minutes. Was he making a mistake? He carefully put it in his vest pocket and went back inside.  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
"Three Kings and two Queens." Zippy flashed her winning cards to HotShot, Melody and Poker.  
  
"Race MUST be around here somewhere, because there's no way I can win 5 games in a row!" Zippy said sarcastically and cackled at her friends.  
  
"You guys, I'm getting really bored. Why do we have to stay cooped up in here all day while all the others are out selling papes!" Melody scoffed and stomped her foot. "Something's been going on with Jack lately. I know him like I know the streets of New York and he hasn't been himself lately. Why would he make me stay at the Lodging House when he knows I need to be out there! My dad's going to kill me...literally."  
  
"Don't even talk like that!" Poker protested. "Jack just cares about you and your health."  
  
"Yeah, and he's makin us stay in here with you. How do you think WE feel?" HotShot added.  
  
"Better than me...you guys don't have some itchy bandage tied around your stomach!" Melody pulled at her shirt where her bandage was.  
  
"Speaking of Jack...Italy told me that he had Specs help him write a poem. He wouldn't say who it was for of course, but I wonder..." She stared at Melody, then over at Jack's forgotten vest. There was a folded piece of paper sticking out of the inside pocket. Poker ran over and grabbed the piece of paper, quickly unfolding it. Her face turned from excited to dissappointed in a matter of seconds.  
  
"There's no name! How are we supposed to find out now?" HotShot seized the poem from Poker's hand and started to read it.  
  
"Hm...I think I know who this is for. Melody, dear, will you come over here please?" Melody trudged over and took the poem from HotShot's outstretched hand and began to read.  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
Muahahaha! It's another cliffhanger, right Poker? *wink* I can tell you right now that the song will come into play the next chapter! *music begins* Will Melody figure out the poem is for her? Will Jack reveal his TRUE feelings? Find out next time on I Will Carry You. *music ends* 


	4. The poem

Disclaimer: I. Don't. Own. Newsies. I need to keep telling myself that. I don't own Trigger, Poker, Sapphy, Italy, HotShot, Taffee or Zippy either! Or the song I Will Carry You sung by Clay Aiken. By the way, I did dissect the song a lil...sorry! I own Tag and Melody though! *still beaming*  
  
I love you reviewers! I don't get to know who all of you are b/c I'm updating like 5 minutes after the last chapter. Literally.  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
The piece of paper crinkled in Melody's hands as her eyes opened as wide as her mouth.  
  
"Read it out loud!" Poker begged. Melody cleared her throat and began to read.  
  
"Yeah, I know it hurts. Yeah, I know you're scared. Walkin' down the road that leads to who knows where. Don't you hang your head. Don't you give up yet. When courage starts to dissappear, I will be right here. When your world breaks down, and the voices tell you turn around. When your dreams give out, I will carry you. When the stars go blind, and the darkness starts to flood your eyes. When you're falling behind, I will carry you. Everybody cries, Everybody bleeds. No one ever said that life's an easy thing. That's the beauty of it. When you lose your way, just close your eyes, go to sleep. And wake up to another day. You should know now that you're not alone. Take my heart and we will find...you will find, Your way home." Zippy, Poker and Melody all stood there in amazement. "Is that...do you think...for me?" Melody stammered.  
  
"Why don't you ask him?" HotShot challenged. Melody folded the paper back up and ran out the door.  
  
"Hey! I wanna know, too!" Poker whined and stomped her feet.  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
"JACK!" Melody ran towards Jack as he was sellin' his papes. The bandage was wrapped tightly around her stomach, making it hard for her to breath properly.  
  
"Melody? What are ya doing out heah?" Jack ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.  
  
"I know I ''disobeyed'' you Jack. But...umm...I read this." She pulled out the poem and Jack's mouth dropped. "And I was wondering who it was for." Jack grabbed the poem from her hands and hastily put it back in his pocket.  
  
"Where did ya find it?!?!" He yelled.  
  
"In your vest pocket!" Melody yelled back, louder. "So, who's it for?"  
  
"No one, ok?" Jack answered, sounding irritated. Melody took a deep breath in and stared Jack straight in the eyes.  
  
"Is it for me? Tell the truth."  
  
"Fine, ya caught me. It is for you, ok?" He moved closer to Melody and took her hands in his. "I know we've been best friends for lotsa years now and you know that I care about ya and I love ya. I love ya more than a friend, though." He leaned down and pulled Melody into a sweet, gentle kiss. She pulled away and looked at Jack with sorrow in her eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry, Jack. I don't love you." She turned away and ran. She ran as fast as she could to who knows where. And that was the last time that Jack and any of the other newsies saw Melody, ever again.  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
The End! Yeah, it is a short fic isn't it? But I'm proud of it and I hope you liked it! PLEASE review and I will love you forever! Onto the next fic, eh? *bows and walks off-stage. The lights dim and the curtain closes* 


End file.
